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To get pearls, one must dive deep …

Monthly Archives: March 2009

Ever been interrupted by a call that seems important but when the person comes on the line, you find out that someone (telemarketer) is trying to sell you something. Often, I just ask if this is a courtesy call and if so, I request them politely to add my name to their do-not-call list. However, sometimes I still get calls from the same telemarketing company and no requests to be removed from their list are heeded to.

Matthew 5:37 counsels us – “Simply let our ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No'”. This should work wonders with Telemarketers, I think. I am yet to validate this.
But the next time, you have a persistent telemarketer calling, do the following –

Take the call

Let them introduce themselves

Tell them that you are more interested in sharing something with them

Tell them that your master (Jesus Christ) has counseled in his Word (the Bible), that our ‘Yes’ should be ‘Yes’ and our ‘No’ should be ‘No’. (anything else is from the evil one). Dont call them evil by any chance.

Now ask them, would you like to know more about this Jesus Christ. There is a high degree of possibility that they will hang-up on you and probably add you to their do-not-call list. 🙂

If they stay on the phone with you, tell them that you have more to give that they can offer and best of all – it is FREE. Share with them that acknowledging Jesus as Lord, Believing in Him and Confessing our sins will be more valuable that anything anyone can sell.

Ask to pray with them and pray with them.

Telemarketers have a work to do and so please be polite with them when reaching out to them.

Today, I had the privilege of bringing God’s word to the ekklesia of believers at the Austin Christian Fellowship of India and the topic that the Lord had laid in my heart, for the edification of his people, the Church including myself was Nameless.

Synopsis of the message is given below :-
God has kept us ALIVE (Joshua 14:10)
Time (Life) and Chance (Opportunity) is given to all (Eccl 9:11)
So are we trying to make a Name for ourselves as those during the time of the building of the Tower of Babel did (Genesis 11:4-6), seeking one or more of the following – Power, Position, Prestige, Pleasure or PopularityOrare we trying to become Nameless (like the unnamed Centurioun soldier, unnamed slave girl in Naaman’s household, unnamed lepers at the gate of the city, unnamed widow that gave all that she had)
What is our pursuit?
What are we living for?

There are no titles (CEO, Janitor etc) on Tombstones and at the Foot of the Cross all are made equal with one universal title – Servant (well done faithful servant or be gone unfaithful servant).

To become nameless was to become the unnamed Altar (Acts 17:23-34) so that those who don’t know Christ, will know Him through us and that our lives will become the altar on which God accepts the lives of those who are accepting, believing and confessing.

God has kept us alive and given us time and chance – let us live Nameless lives, so that the one with the Name above all names is glorified.

On February 13th, I wrote on Friday, the 13th as a lucky day. It is interesting that this year, we have March 13th, yet another Friday, that falls on the 13th day of the month. Since Friday the 13th is most widely connoted with luckiness, I feel led to write a little more about this topic.

We sometimes tell about someone we deem as successful, that they have been really lucky or they were at the right time at the right place. Interestingly, the Bible states that each one of us have been given the means to succeed – Time and Chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Time is not necessarily talking about age, but the breath of life that is given to us, each moment.Chance is not necessarily talking about fate, but about the opportunities that God brings to each one of us.

So next time, you think of someone else as being lucky, think that you can be lucky as well, because, God has given us the elements that can make us successful (in his Kingdom business).

Point(s) to ponder:

Remember it is not always the swiftest that wins the race, not always the strongest that wins the battle, not always the wise that wins the bread, not always the understanding that wins the riches and not always the skillful that wins the favor – but each one of us have been given what it takes – time and chance!

What are you/am I doing with your/my life (time given)?

Are we cognizant of the opportunities (chance) that God gives unto us, so that we can make a difference in the lives of others?

Ecclesiastes 9:1111 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

We often tend to bask in the glory of our wisdom (which is foolishness to God for he is far wiser than the wisest man), our might (or strength) or in our riches. We rest on the laurels of past accomplishments, riding the ebbing waves of ephemeral success, trying to establish a name for ourselves.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 9:23-24 that that wise man must not glory in his wisdom, the mighty man must not glory in his might, nor the rich man glory in his riches, BUT instead, he/she that glorifieth, let him/her glory in the following
– that he he understands and knows God
– a God that exercises lovingkindness (loving and kind God), judgment (a just God), and righteousness (THE ONLY RIGHT GOD) in the earth
– a God that delighteth to be loving and kind and just and righteous.

Point(s) to ponder:

Do you understand and know God?

Do you know God to be loving and kind, a just God and a righteous God?

Where is your glory? In your wisdom, in your strength or in your riches; or is it in God?

Jeremiah 9:23-2423 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Philippians 1:6 states that “He that began a good work (in them) will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. This is very applicable today when most of leave that which we start unfinished. With God there is no unfinished business.

With God there is only completeness and perfection in that completeness. Though circumstances and situations at times may make us believe otherwise, trust that God who begins anything in your life will always bring it to fruition accordingly to his Holy will and purpose. Isaiah 10:12 refers to the time when God completes his whole work, meaning that there is no half-done work in God’s efforts.

Point(s) to ponder:
Think off the good things that you have started that have been left unfinished? Take time to address them. Ask God for his wisdom to help you get through to completing the good work he has began in you!

We have heard of the saying, Get rich or die trying.Most of us, especially me as a business man, are always seeking opportunities to make it big with the shortest critical path to success a.k.a. trying to get rich in haste. The Bible in God inspired wisdom, warns us of this effort.

Proverbs 28:30 states “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent”While there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting rich or being rich, the Bible does warn us to be careful of “Get rich quick” plans, since most of these efforts have the potential to compromise our faithfulness (righteousness) to God and man.

Abraham was rich, King David was rich, King Solomon was rich, Joseph of Arimathaea (Matthew 27:57) and many more in the Bible are recorded to be rich. Those in this list that were faithful are the ones who are also known to have been blessed. So watch out and beware of getting rich quickly. Think twice when you are faced with such decisions and pray to seek God’s will, evaluating if engaging would make you, to be guilty (not innocent) of being unfaithful to God and man. A faithful man shall abound with blessings.